Camera's playing up at the moment so I can't upload any pictures but I'll update this post as soon as normal service resumes. I've not posted for a while, I have been making some progress but since the small issue with the petrol filler, I've been a little more cautious. In addition, I've decided at the ripe old age of 41 to get me some "ejucation" and I've picked up the text book once more to work towards a professional qualification in Insurance and as my employer has a nice little bonus scheme for passing these exams I thought I'd give it a go.
The latest job to be completed on the car was fitting the bootlid which is held in place by two hinges on the front edge and the lock at the back. The bootlid needs aligned to be central in the boot aperture both front to back and side to side. In addition it's height needs to be the same or at least as close as possible to the surrounding body work. The standard method involves a lot of trial and error and either bending or packing the hinges to achieve the desired result. In order to find out just how much faffing about I was in for I decided to fit the lid in the correct position, held in place by card and masking tape to see how far out the hinges would be. I packed the edge of the aperture with thin strips of card to raise the lid to the correct height and then wedged card into the shut lines to hold it central. Once I was happy, I taped all the card into place, fitted the hinges to the body and with my Dad's help, climbed into the boot and closed the lid behind me. I could then lift the hinges into place against the inside of the bootlid to see how much work was needed to get a good fit. Happily, the hinge plates fitted flush against the underside of the lid showing that just a few of the holes needed enlarging for it all to line up and bolt into place. Nice!
The next job was to fit the catch which is fitted or at least marked for fitment from inside the boot. I'd previously spent a good while positioning the striker plate in the exact centre of the aperture before fixing into place. I fitted the catch to align with the striker plate but it wasn't until I came to fit the handle to the outside of boot lid that I realised that the critical measurement was the handle in the centre of the lid rather than the catch/striker in the centre of the aperture and mine was a little out. I managed to "save" it but there's a good tip for anyone else contemplating the same job. I'll try and post a few pictures to illustrate but I've now fitted the bootlid, fitted the boot handle and lock, the number plate light and the rear lights and indicators. A couple of small jobs in the great scheme of things but the back end now looks like a car which gives a very satisfying feeling. Oh whilst I think of it, another small tip for you, the hole cut for the fuel filler makes a handy hole to feed a lead light through so you can have some light and see what you're doing when you climb into the boot.
